Charity’s former leader pleads guilty in scam

CHARLOTTE — The former leader of a Gastonia charity has pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from the nonprofit agency and failing to pay its payroll and other taxes to the Internal Revenue Service, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina says.

The guilty pleas entered Friday by Stephanie L. Roberts, 54, of Gastonia, were to three counts: theft in connection with health care, failure to truthfully account for and pay over trust fund taxes, and making and subscribing a false tax return, the release says. As part of her plea deal, she will have to fully repay the charity, can be fined by the court and can be subject to a forfeiture money judgment. Her sentence is yet to be set by a federal judge.

From at least Jan. 8, 2016, through Jan. 21, 2022, Roberts embezzled more than $136,000 from the nonprofit and failed to pay to the government more than $200,000 withheld from staffers’ paychecks for federal income, Medicare and Social Security taxes, court documents say. She also filed federal income tax returns that falsely listed the amount of tax withheld from her wages and claimed that the amount was paid to the IRS.

The name of the charity is not listed in the release. A report published by the Gaston Gazette’s website identified it as Cancer Services of Gaston County.

The case was investigated by the IRS, Postal Inspection Service and the Gastonia Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Savage, the release says.